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(fjfTSjpOOUMBNT I S THE PROPERTY OF HIS PR ITALIC MAJESTY S GOVERNMENT) .
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S E CJL
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COPY NO.
nP^17 (36).
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C A E I IT B T.
EDUCATIONAL POLICY COMMITTEE.
SECOND REPORT.
1.
The Cabinet Committee on Educational Policy, which was
originally constituted in February 1934 (Cabinet 5 (34)
Conclusion 5 ) , is now, as part of the new arrangements approved
after the last General Election and set out in C P ,
219 (55),
composed of the following Ministers :The
The
The
The
The
The
The
The
The
The
3,
Lord President of the Council,
Chancellor of the Exchequer,
Lord Chancellor,
Lord Privy Seal,
Secretary of State for Scotland,
President of the Board of Trade,
Minister without Portfolio,
President of the Board of Education,
Minister of Health,
Minister of Labour.
The position is that the main educational proposals of
His Majesty's Government, so far as they require legislation,
are now contained in draft English and Scottish Education Bills,
which heve been approved by the Home Affairs Committee, and are
under consideration by the Cabinet.
The Cabinet, at its Meeting
on -January 22nd 1936 (Cabinet 2 (36) Conclusions 7 and 8 ) ,
referred to the Committee certain points on the two Bills which
had been reserved for Cabinet determination by the Home Affairs
Committee and any other points of diffi culty that might be
raised.
The Committee met on January 2.3rd, 1936, and it then
appeared that the only points requiring tlieir further consider­
ation were the following :­
(a) The proviso to Sub-section 2 of Clause 2 of the
English Bill, and the corresponding proviso of
the Scottish Bill.
The broad effect of these
provisos, as drafted, was that exemptions from
the obligation to attend school until 15, for
Leheiieial employment, v;oula. normally operate
only frcii the end of each school teraj
if,
however, the Local education Authority
issuing the employment certificates had been
furnished, before the beginning of the term,
with information sufficient to satisfy it that
employment beneficial to a child was available,
the Authority was empowered to issue a
certificate in that case during the course of
a term.
(b)
The effect of the nnglish Bill v. as to continue
the crediting of Unemployment Insurance contri­
butions for attendance at schools between 14 and
15 in England and V/ales whereas in Scotland, after
the 1st September, 1939, such credits will not
begin until the child has attained the age of 15.
(c)
The question of empowering Local Authorities
in Scotland to provide medical treatment in
Scottish Instructional Cent re s-.
1
Grant of em;.floyment certificates during a school tero.
3.
After careful consideration we think that each case
should be decided on its merits by the Local Authority in
the light of its local knowledge and in the interests of
the individual child.
This c m , in our opinion, be secured
by a somewhat more elastic formula than that contained in
the provisos as at present drafted, and we accordingly
recommend the substitution for thuse provisos of some such
wording as followss­
"Provided that the issuing authority when so
satisfied may nevertheless suspend certifi­
cates of emplojanent until the end of the
school term".
It will, of course, he understood that we have adopted
this formula subject to any drafting amendments which
Parliamentary Counsel may find it necessary to make, and to
any consequential alterations which may be required.
Oreciting of Unemployment Insurance Contributions.
4.
We are agreed that in this matter, uniformity of future
practice throughout Great Britain must be secured and that such
uniformity can only be secured by new unemployment insurance
legislation.
It has been suggested to us that the principle
of the crediting of contributions for children of 14 to 15
will in future be wrong, and that accordingly the Government
should decide to bring the practice in England and Wales into
conformity with the practice in Scotland.
On the other hand,
we think that such a reversal of the 1934 policy in this
respect would be difficult to justify, and that it would be
politically impracticable to introduce within the next three
years legislation which would take away privileges granted in
Section 1 of the Unemployment Act, 1934, and continued by the
English Bill.
We also think that the decision cf the Govern­
ment should be announced forthwith.
We accordingly recommend:'-
That a statement should be made on the Second
Reading of the Education Bill in the House of
Commons to the effect that the Government have
decided that. the position in Scotland in regard
to the crediting of Unemployment Insurance
contributions shall be brought into 2ihe with
the position in England ana Wales; tiUat for
technical reasons effect cannot be given to
this decision by means of the present educational
legislation but that the decision will be fully
implemented before the raising of the school
leaving age provisions of that legislation cone
into operation in 1939.
Medical Treatment in Instructional Centres in Scotland.
5
*
We are advised that the title of the Education (Scot la/id )
Bill precludes the introduction of a provision enabling local
autaorities in Scotland to provide medical treatment in
their Instructional Centres, and this matter will there
have to "be dealt with in other legislation on some
convenient opportunity in the future.
Signed on behalf of the Committee
J. RAMSAY MACDONALD
Clu iriaan.
Whitehall Gardens, S.W.I.
January 25th,, 1936.